In Death We Meet Again
by faithlessred
Summary: Remus Lupin had never properly wondered, despite his fair brushes with Death, what dying would be like. But if he had, he would certainly have never envisioned this - nor what would await him on the other side.
**IN DEATH WE MEET AGAIN**

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling.

Warning: Characters may be OOC. I tried to stick as close to their characters as possible but am not fully satisfied with their interactions.

Enjoy! xx

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Dying was strange.

Remus Lupin had never really properly wondered what dying would be like. He had had his fair brushes with Death (as was normal for Order members), seen his life flash past his eyes, briefly considered, in his bitterest moments, to simply press that wand against his temple and end it right there and then – but he had never _actually_ really wondered what him ceasing to exist would be like.

But if he had, he wouldn't have envisioned this.

For one, he hadn't even seen the spell that had hit him.

Remus could remember his final moments fairly vividly. He remembered running through the crush of Death Eaters and Hogwarts defenders alike as they all desperately attempted maneuvering room in the stone hallways of the great castle. He remembered firing spell after spell, some deadly and others simply for self defense, ducking behind stone walls and around corners to avoid jets of green and red light. He remembered that the fighting was fierce and in those moments, adrenaline shooting like alcohol through his veins, breath coming short in his lungs and he remembered, particularly, surprise over finding himself still alive in the thick of the battle.

He remembered the screams of the dying, remembered the sick horror as yet another body beside him would suddenly flail and fall. The air had been thick with rage and desperation, fury and agony, terror and horror – so thick, he almost choked on it.

And he most definitely remembered _him_.

Through the crowd, over the many shoulders, Remus had seen him – just a blurred figure amongst so many, dressed in the dark clothes the Death Eaters favoured. He had paid little to no attention to him at first, trying to outmaneuver a masked Death Eater attempting to use a gaggle of Hogwarts kids as cover – until he heard a brief cry from that general direction, close to the end of the corridor. As Remus had fired a Killing Curse that hit the Death Eater square in the chest, he'd glanced over – and froze for the blurred figure that had caught his eye earlier had pounced upon a student that had fallen and the eager, twitchy move had set off more than enough memories within him.

 _Waking up sleepily in the middle of the night from the creak of his window. Assuming it was his father, rolling over to go back to sleep. Then, a rasp of a breath; turning around, seeing a flash of bloodshot eyes and white fangs; trying to scramble from the bed and run for the door. A heavy weight knocking him flat onto the ground. Then, darkness and intense pain – incomparable to the darkness and pain that would dog him for the rest of his life, brought on and cursed by the very monster that had so carefully chosen him._

Greyback.

Remus's muscles had locked briefly, absurdly in the throng of the battle as he had watched the very person that had haunted his dreams from the time he was nearly five pounce upon the crumpled Hogwarts student and drag him through the crowd, protected by the Death Eaters standing shoulder to shoulder, firing spells at random. Without even thinking about it, his body reacting before his mind could, Remus had bolted forward, bowling over and knocking down several people before they could even react to him. His wand had acted of its own accord, deflecting spells and casting his own deadly spells as Death Eaters crumpled before his relentless quest, eyes glued to the back of Fenrir Greyback dragging the student through the crush.

 _I will not let him put another person through this horror I live with everyday. I will_ _ **not.**_

He had fought through the crowd. The Death Eaters had been putting up a good fight though it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to stick together – realizing that their strength were only in numbers, the Hogwarts fighters had swarmed over them, breaking links and chains, risking lives to break whole groups of them apart and then taking them down individually. Some part of Remus had been full of pride at their bravery and determination as well as strategy planning but the rest had been hard wired on the figure doggedly weaving his way through the crowd, dragging a fallen victim with him.

Without warning, he'd seen a flash of green light headed straight for him from his right – he'd ducked, though knowing that he didn't have enough time to avoid it.

The spell had hit the stone wall behind him, sending stone and shrapnel flying everywhere. Startled, he had looked up and seen Dolohov, the person who had fired the Killing Spell, shouldering his way through the crowd straight for him, and Aberforth, the person who had deflected the spell and thus, saved Remus's life.

Remus had nodded his thanks to him just as Dolohov came bearing down upon him.

And they had begun to duel. Spells had cracked like whips at their feet as they'd danced and dodged and every single cell in Remus's body had howled his frustration at not being able to go after Greyback, the monster who was probably already feeding upon the poor child he had taken advantage of. He had taken that frustration out on the arrogant Death Eater who had particularly singled him out – he'd dueled like he had never dueled before and every single one of Dolohov's spells had been deflected and returned in kind until the man's pale, twisted face was shiny with sweat.

Over Dolohov's shoulder, he'd caught a brief glimpse of Aberforth hesitating, clearly wanting to help - but it had become personal between the werewolf and this Death Eater; Remus had half jerked his head at the older man before being forced to duck as Dolohov had made a slashing motion with his wand, purple fire spitting into the air from its tip like a whip. When he had looked up again, Aberforth had disappeared.

And so it had been just them. They'd dueled and dodged until the very air seemed to burn with heat and the ground crackled.

Something had exploded to their left, screams rising in the air and for just a fraction of a second, Dolohov's head had jerked, turning towards the sound. Remus had taken advantage of his minor distraction and shot a Stunning Spell straight at him, not even really paying attention to see if it made contact as his eyes swept through the crowd, looking for Greyback.

Nothing. He'd vanished.

Remus had gritted his teeth and started down the hallway, determined to find the werewolf and rip him limb from limb even if it killed him – when he'd heard her call.

"Remus!"

Tonks. Nymphadora Tonks. One of the only women in his life who had ever truly accepted him, who had lighted up the last few months of his life and brought so much sunshine and joy into his heart.

He had turned, movements sluggish, every muscle locking, remembering, briefly, that he had specifically told her to stay home with their baby. He'd thought he was perhaps hallucinating - then he had seen her pale face staring back at him in the middle of the crowd, so beautiful it made his heart ache.

She had opened her mouth to say something and he had started towards her, reaching for her, trying to get her to safety because she wasn't supposed to be here, she had to get out of here –

The last few moments of his life had been seeing horror flash across her face, seeing her mouth open in a scream – then fire washing across his back, pain shooting across his skin … agony and pain and anguish …

Darkness. Blessed darkness.

When he had awoken again, it was to no senses. Darkness pressed on all sides of him although he was definitely awake and he could feel, hear, _see_ nothing. It was truly like being blind in all senses and he felt fear rise up within him.

 _Where am I?_

There was no denying that he was dead. Remus _knew_ , without even knowing how he knew, that he was dead but where was he, he still did not know – and was frightened to even know.

Taking a deep breath, he took a firm grip on his courage and forced his eyes open.

All sensations immediately rushed back to him: sight, sound, feel – they all hit him like a ton of bricks, everything sharpening into vivid colour, feel, sound, even taste. He stared about his surroundings in amazement for if there was anywhere he was expecting himself to be, here was not it.

Remus Lupin was sitting in a corner of a train compartment, trees and rolling pastures awashed in pale sunshine flashing past the huge window he had been slumped against. The ground rattled and hummed beneath his feet as the train sped along, a familiar sound that seemed to echo within him for it was not a sound he had heard in years. He was on the Hogwarts Express … He was going back to Hogwarts …

He stood up shakily and noticed, with another start, that he was wearing his old Hogwarts school robes, bearing the colours of Gryffindor. They fit him as if they had been tailor made for him … and, as he caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the window, perhaps they had as he had been returned, in death, to his younger self … sixteen or seventeen year old Moony stared back at him in his reflection, with less scars on his face, less lines and fuller, thicker and darker hair … there were less aches and muscle pulling as he experimentally stretched …

He turned and walked slowly across the compartment to the sliding door. There was nobody in the compartment opposite him or walking along the hallway. He slid it open and stepped out. The entire train seemed deserted.

Not knowing why he was even doing so, he walked along its length, feeling ghostly striding along the train, devoid of any signs of life besides him. He saw empty cages and trunks stuffed into luggage racks of compartments, even Chocolate Frog wrappers littered on the seats and magazines, games and cards strewn upon the floor as if the occupants had left in a hurry.

Remus was nearing the end of the train when he heard a yell of laughter from a compartment at the end. His body had registered and recognized the sound before his brain did – his heart banged headlong to a standstill against his ribs, his blood shot through his veins and he had frozen in the middle of the hallway before his brain had conjured up an image of a black haired, hazel eyed boy roaring with laughter in his pajamas in the middle of the Gryffindor common room at four in the morning on Christmas Day.

He bolted down the hallway, skidding to a stop at the sliding door of the compartment all the way at the end.

He stared.

And stared.

Two young boys were sitting in the compartment, one lounging on the seats, the other stretched out on the floor. A radio perched on the windowsill was blasting music so loudly, Remus could hear it on the other side of the sliding door. Various snacks were piled carelessly on the edge of one of the seats. An Exploding Snap card tower was being built in the middle of the floor. A perfectly normal scene – if the two boys in the compartment hadn't been the two people Remus had spent most of his adult life mourning.

Sirius Black looked younger than Remus had last seen him and all the happier for it. Tall and handsome with the same coolly arrogant and confident air that had made so many girls swoon over him in school, the sixteen year old casually lounged back on the seats, dangling a Daily Prophet newspaper between the fingertips of the arm thrown over the back of the chair he was sitting on. He was still dressed in his Muggle clothing – a black leather jacket and skintight jeans with rips in the knees.

James Potter looked precisely like Harry except with hazel eyes, a longer nose and a significant lack of the rather serious, worried air Harry seemed to carry around with him. In its place was a mischievous overconfidence that came with being wealthy, well looked after and adored by almost everyone who met him – while he did not have the same casual elegance or slight edge of Sirius, he was proud and warm and playful and did not worry much about anything which had made many admire and gravitate towards him. He was a warm, glowing sight that Remus had not seen in sixteen years and he was already dressed – like Remus – in his school robes, sprawled upon the floor and idly stacking cards on his card tower as he and Sirius chuckled over something.

 _You can't be here. This is impossible._

Remus stared at them. Stared and stared and stared because these were the people that had encouraged the best part of him in school and accepted him, utterly. Stared because it had been a long time since he had seen James laugh, since he had had a chance to bathe in the warm mischief that was James Potter or see Sirius when he was not wasted and wrought with bitterness and fury. The entire compartment seemed full with endless possibilities and the thoughtlessness of youth, a time when the dying and ravages of war seemed far away and insignificant, when they were young and full of themselves and never had to worry about anything more than exams or girls or their next prank.

He would have been content to just stand there and stare forever but at that very moment, James looked up and grinned suddenly, happiness lighting that narrow face and waved at him to come in.

Slowly, feeling as if this was a dream, Remus slid open the compartment door. The music and sudden warmth washed over him. Something seemed to click within him as he closed the door shut. _I'm home_. _I'm finally home_.

"What's wrong with you, Remus? Don't you know how to open a door?" James asked and Remus felt another physical shock at the sound of his voice.

"Yeah, you sure took your time," said Sirius.

"You can't be here. You're dead," were the first words out of Remus's mouth before he could stop himself. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Both of them grinned. "Nice to see you too, Moony," said Sirius.

"Yeah, Sirius was a lot more grateful when I greeted him," said James, turning back to his card tower.

Remus didn't know what to say. He sat down slowly at the edge of the seat behind James, opposite Sirius.

"Am I dead?" he asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah, you are, mate, although that was a really good duel," said James.

"Dolohov only got you when you had your back turned, the coward," Sirius added scathingly.

But Remus was no longer interested in his own death for the memory of his last few moments had flashed before him – the pale, horror struck face of his wife – he jerked forward in a panic and spat out the words of his greatest fear: "Dora! Is she – did she – "

The words faltered in his throat. Though he couldn't see James's face on the floor in front of him, Sirius from the seat opposite him had lost the easy grin and was wearing a look of deepest sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Moony," he said gently.

Remus slumped back in his seat, feeling sick. He thought of his only son, now almost alone in the world other than Tonks's mother, Andromeda. The kid was only a few months old. How had he failed him so utterly as a parent?

Sirius and James did not pester him. They did not offer empty words of sympathy and reassurances and for that he was grateful. For a few moments, the only sounds in the compartment were the music blaring from the radio and the humming and rattling of the train as it sped forwards.

At last, Remus raised his head. "Did Dolohov – "

"Bellatrix got her," said James.

Remus inhaled sharply. Another memory touched him and he asked, almost fearful of the answer, "Greyback?"

"Still alive," said James. A pause and then, understanding the silent question Remus had, "The kid died. He was wounded pretty bad; he didn't survive long when Greyback got to him."

Remus closed his eyes briefly. The only comfort was that at least, the boy wouldn't have to grow up the way he did. He hoped fervently that he was in a better place.

A few moments of silence once more. James had somehow managed to build his card tower to about three feet without a single explosion which was a miracle in itself. Remus contented himself to staring at the pair of them – James, relaxed even in his concentration on not nudging his card tower and triggering an explosion, Sirius staring out of the window with a content look on his face, devoid of the restlessness that Remus last recalled from him.

"I never thought this would be us," said Remus abruptly; the two of them turned to look at him. "Never – the last time we were in this compartment – "

They both understood; he saw it in their eyes. Wormtail's absence seemed to leap out at them. He should have been here as well, a small, mousy-haired boy with a pointed nose sitting beside James, helping with the card tower, petrified and face tight in concentration in his determination not to cause an explosion. Squeaking with fear and reeling back every time James pretended to drop something or make a wrong move. Blinking in shock and sitting stock still in the aftermath of the explosion James would have surely made eventually, carrying a certain air of resignation and defeat.

"Wormtail – " Remus said quietly.

"Dead," James confirmed. Remus had known this – he had heard it from Bill who had heard it from Ron – died at Malfoy Manor at his moment of weakness, strangled to death by the very hand Voldemort had gifted him – but hearing the words, he felt a pang for the man he had once known. Sitting here, where he had once been truly happy, he discovered he had so many regrets.

"That's your problem, Moony," said James cheerfully and with a start, Remus realized he had voiced his last thought aloud. "You live so much in what should have been that you miss out on what life actually is."

"Easy for you to say, Prongs," Sirius said sardonically. "You've spent the last sixteen years floating in some magical land being able to peer down at us and criticize our life choices."

"I don't regret the way my life went," said James seriously and at both Sirius and Remus's eyebrow raise, insisted, "None of it." A pause. "I'm sorry for never being able to raise my son and know him and protect him. And more sorry for the path Wormtail took. But for this? For us?" He looked around at them and his smile was warm. "Not a single regret."

That smile warmed everything within Remus and reminded him, many many years ago, on his first day at Hogwarts, quiet in awe and fright, sitting alone in the middle of rowdy, shouting teenagers at the Gryffindor table, two young boys squeezing themselves in the seat beside him. James had worn that exact same smile. _"Can we sit here?" he had asked. "What's your name?"_

Sirius chuckled. "Always with the cheese, Prongs."

A smile was on Remus's face as well. He felt like he hadn't smiled like this in sixteen years. "Nothing's changed."

At that moment, a whistle rang through the compartment, startling all of them. The train began to slow down. Remus glanced at the pair of them. They hadn't moved.

"Are we – going back to Hogwarts?"

"That's for you to decide, mate," said James.

Remus blinked. "What?"

"You get a choice, Moony, don't you know?" Sirius said. "You can choose to go back, if you'd like. Rejoin the world."

Remus stared disbelievingly at the pair of them. They were, for once, having straight faces.

"Go – go back?"

"Not as one of the living but as a ghost," James explained. "You tread where you once trod when you were living but that means, if you go back now, you'll see the end of the Wizarding War, hopefully. And you can watch your son grow up. You can be a part of his life."

Remus felt his heart stick in his throat. "Go back?" he croaked. "I can see Teddy?"

"Yes, mate," said Sirius quietly.

Remus got shakily to his feet and crossed over to the window, somehow managing, despite his daze, not to knock James over into his card tower. He stared as the open countryside was left behind along with the sunshine. They were steadily approaching Hogwarts, he could feel it. The train was dropping significantly in speed. Hogwarts – and the world of the living – was close.

He thought briefly of his son. Teddy, a laughing, chubby baby boy. When Tonks had first put him into his arms, he had been so afraid hurting his son, he had shook with fear. And then his son had begun to cry and as he had hurriedly made to give the baby back, Teddy had clung to him, still wailing but undeniably wanting to still be held by him. The joy Remus had felt then had been staggering.

And he could return. He could see Teddy. Watch him grow up. He would never be able to hold his son but Teddy would know _him_ at least.

He turned slowly and saw Sirius and James were watching him soberly. They both could see right through him, saw how badly he wanted to return. And they were prepared to accept his choice. As they had accepted all of him, utterly and completely, through his teenage years until now, for better or for worst.

The train slowed to a stop. The compartment sliding door slid open.

Remus stared from once face to another. "What – what happens when – "

"You'll return to where you died," replied James. "As if nothing ever happened except you'll be a ghost. It may take some getting used to."

"And – where will this train go from here?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"On," said James simply.

Remus looked back to the door. He could feel the pull from the world of the living. He could return.

 _You live so much in what should have been that you miss out on what life actually is._

He looked back at his two best friends.

Then he crossed the compartment and slammed the sliding door shut.

As he sat back down, he met the disbelieved gazes of Sirius and James.

"Moony, are you _sure_?" Sirius asked, aghast.

"There's no backing out of it, you know, no turning back," added James in clear amazement.

"I know."

And he did know. Because, for the first time in sixteen years, everything felt like it had fallen into place. He had spent so much of his adult life flitting from one place to another, trying to fit in while at the same time looking back and wondering about the what-ifs that he had never fully stopped to appreciate his ownself as he was. Appreciate where he was and who he was. Accept that some things had to be let go.

He looked at the two stunned faces staring at him.

"I'm sure."

A tension he never even knew he had felt released its grip within him and it was with a genuine grin he said, "So. Have you tried jumping off the train yet?"

The astonishment snapped and they laughed.

"Oh come on, Moony, what do you take us for?" said Sirius.

"Yeah, Moony," said James, managing to look genuinely insulted. "We are responsible, mature adults. We – "

"Didn't work out so well, did it?" interrupted Remus wryly.

Both of them grinned. Sirius let out his bark like laugh. "There's some kind of enchantment surrounding the train. Couldn't get past it."

"We just bounce back into the train," said James, looking as if he had just been denied a real treat. "I mean, what's the point?"

"Yeah, we're already dead," said Sirius. "Not like jumping off into oblivion will harm us."

"Although," said James, his eyes lighting up. "You could get rid of the enchantment, Moony! You're brilliant at Charms!"

Remus just shook his head, unable to suppress his grin of amusement. Nothing really had changed.

A warning whistle rang through the compartment once more. Sirius and James glanced at Remus, worried frowns replacing their grins.

"Last chance, Moony," said James.

Remus looked out of the window. He could not deny the pull of longing as he saw Hogwarts in the distance and the possibility of returning to all he had lost. But he _was_ home. This – the Marauders – Sirius and James – they were the only home he had ever needed and wanted.

The train pulled away from the station and began to pick up speed. Within seconds, their surroundings were flashing past the window, leaving behind Hogwarts and the real world.

Remus turned to Sirius and James. They were watching him with the same amazement when he had made his decision earlier.

"James,' said Remus for it had only just occurred to him. "Why did you not go back? I mean – you had a son …" He could understand how easy the decision would have been for Sirius, who had spent so much of his adult years living in the past, bitter and furious over the unfair course his life had taken, to pass on the opportunity to return to the world of the living when he had so little to go back to - but James had just had a son at that point of time. A son and friends he genuinely cared for. A war that had ended at the time of his death. He could have gone back and ensured that Harry be protected and cared for. Could have returned to Hogwarts and lived as one of those mischievous ghosts that wrecked havoc everywhere. Could have saved Sirius from Azkaban with his testimony (albeit as a ghost).

James had a funny smile on his face as he looked at Remus. "Let's just say, Moony," he said. "I don't like a complicated life."

Remus laughed.

"Mate, if you'd believed that, you certainly wouldn't have married Lily," said Sirius lazily. "Woman is a tigress."

"Where _is_ Lily?" asked Remus, perking up. "Is she on the train too?"

"Nah," said James, going back to his card tower. "She's meeting the man who saved my son. Who _dedicated his life into protecting my precious son Harry from every danger, risked everything, including his own sanity and life, just to ensure that Harry remained safe from every possibility of danger_ …"

"Severus?" guessed Remus.

"Yeah," grimaced James. Sirius made a face.

"James … Sirius …" Remus said quietly.

"I know, I know," sighed James. "We were complete idiots. And he really did dedicate his life into protecting Harry … even though he was god awful to him at certain times."

"I have to say though," said Sirius. "I never would have guessed he fancied Lily."

"What?" gasped Remus in shock; he looked from one face to another, now both wearing grins at his astonishment. "Severus … and Lily? When?"

Both of them laughed. "Mate," said Sirius. "You have a lot of catching up to do."

James placed another card on his card tower.

"Incidentally," said Sirius. "You don't have to worry about Teddy Lupin. Kid is going to be just fine." And he tossed the Daily Prophet that had been dangling between his fingertips to Remus who caught it.

The very front page of the Daily Prophet was taken up by a massive photograph that featured a bunch of clamoring, clearly excited wizards and witches milling around in what appeared to be an entirely desert setting, with great, sloping, sand dunes; the silhouettes of tents could be clearly seen in the background. The headline above the photograph read "Eve of 014 Quidditch World Cup Finale Brings in Thousands of Fans All over the World." A smaller, sub-headline beneath it read: "Will Bulagaria Seize the Cup At Long Last? Or Will Brazil Steal Their Glory?"

Remus stared at the date. "2014?" he repeated slowly. "That is … that's sixteen years from now." He lifted his gaze to Sirius who shrugged.

"Death sure has its perks."

"You can see the future!"

"Not all of it," said James quickly. "The future isn't set in stone – it changes according to the everyday decisions people make – but this is as much as we know for now. The decisions people are making now have set in place this future." He indicated the paper.

Remus stared at the moving photograph of thousands of laughing wizards and witches, dressed in a strange assortment of Muggle clothes and robes, some bearing flags of the rivaling teams; fathers and mothers, children and even animals, coming together on this one great event. The war might never even have happened.

"We won?"

"We will," confirmed James with a smile. "Harry has a difficult decision to make –" His smile faltered slightly before adding, "But if he makes the decision he is set to make, then the War will end today. And this will be their future." He indicated the paper once again.

"But that isn't what I gave you the paper for, Moony," said Sirius. "Look for page four."

Remus obediently flipped the pages. Each page he flipped past featured articles of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. The various photographs scattered across the pages all shared the similarity of laughing faces, huge grins and excitement that seemed too ooze from the paper itself.

He got to page four where the headline emblazoned across the top was "Dumbledore's Army Make Public Appearance at Quidditch World Cup". He raised his eyebrows at the author – Rita Skeeter – and skimmed through the article. He wasn't surprised to note that it had very little to do with the game at all, instead capitalizing on the appearance of Dumbledore's Army – 'celebrities' as Rita referred to them as – and detailing their every move as they would arrive at the campsite of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup. His heart thumped unevenly in his heart as he caught a glimpse of their future – Harry and Ginny married, Ron and Hermione married, Neville married to a Hufflepuff girl, if he recalled her correctly, Luna married, all happy with children – and it stopped completely when he reached towards the ending of the article.

Remus had to reread it several times for him to process that his son, Teddy Lupin, described as a "lanky, half-werewolf with bright blue hair", would be attending the game and apparently carry out some questionable activities with the beautiful blonde daughter of Bill and Fleur Weasley. His entire world stilled as he found a photo of the two of them, shot from a fairly far distance, engaged in deep conversation as they walked along, laughing. Teddy bore no visible scars on his face as far as Remus could see and as his eyes searched the image greedily, the happiness that lighted Teddy's face was clear to see.

 _He's going to be okay. He's going to be alright._

After several moments, he raised his head weakly to look at Sirius and James who were watching him. Both wore identical, slight smiles on their faces.

"He's as tough as you," Sirius said. "He's going to be okay."

Remus closed the paper shakily and looked out of the window. He felt as if the weight of three lifetimes had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Was it worth it?" James asked, still with that slight smile on his face.

Remus thought of his son's happy, laughing face, free of scars and his thick, bright blue hair. He thought of the glowing future his son would have, a world of endless possibilities laid out before him once Voldemort was stopped and the War ended. Every single grief and turmoil, every agony and pain he had ever suffered up until the very point of his death, even the horrific way he had died – seemed like nothing compared to the contributions it would make towards giving his son such a future.

"It was worth it," said he and they both grinned.

"Well," said James, leaning over to place his last card at the very top of the card tower. "It's onto forever then."

Sirius perked up. "We've still got a journey. Tell you what – Moony, if you can crack open one of these windows – come on, you were a professor, you know to work it – don't tell me you're not tempted - "

"We can climb out onto the roof!" shouted James in excitement, flailing one arm – which knocked over the side of the card tower before Remus could do so much as yell a warning.

The explosion that followed shook the entire compartment.

Remus removed the arm he had thrown over his head and smiled in amusement at the sight of a very desolate-looking James, covered in black soot with singed eyebrows and sitting in the middle of what had once been a very fine card tower but was now a pile of ash. His already very messy hair now stuck out at awkward angles and a small fire was starting on the end of one strand.

Sirius raised his head from where he had hidden behind the pile of snacks and surveyed the damage as well. "You really can never finish a card tower without blowing it up, can you, Prongs?" he asked.

James scowled petulantly as Remus leaned over to pinch out the fire before it burnt up all of James's hair.

"On the upside," said Remus dryly. "You got a makeover."

"Your eyebrows have never looked better," agreed Sirius with a straight face.

They all maintained straight faces before bursting into laughter.

 _Onto forever then_ , thought Remus, looking from one face to another, feeling a warm glow settle around his heart. _And what little time it will feel, spent with these two._

The train sped steadily onwards, the entire length of it echoing with yells of laughter, the recounting of great stories and a well overdue reunion.

* * *

Just a few notes:

1\. I originally wanted to include Wormtail in the reunion to prove that no matter what, the Marauders stuck together even in death but after reading through their respective Harry Potter Wikias, decided it was more true to the story to let him go. It would be cruel, however, I thought, to leave any mention of him completely out considering they were all so close hence the small piece of regret on his fate in the story. I decided not to pursue it too much though.

2\. The bit about the Quidditch World Cup was slightly unnecessary but I figured that Remus, being that Teddy was his only son after an entire lifetime of thinking he wasn't allowed to breed and feeling contaminated and all that, would really appreciate a look at Teddy's life in future. More to the point, I was unable to resist after seeing the Rita Skeeter article written on the Eve of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup J. K. Rowling uploaded on Pottermore.

3\. I'm not fully satisfied with the ending. I seem to be absolutely terrible at endings for stories so if you have any suggestions, maybe you can leave them in the reviews! I really need to improve my writing :)

Please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed! 3

xx


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